消除重复性“苦差事”的人工智能承诺通常被视为提高生产率与员工满意度的关键。此类任务包括填写报销单、在电子表格中复制粘贴信息以及处理演示文稿格式等机械操作。在医疗系统中，工作人员花费大量时间手动输入数据，而自动化编辑技术可以节省警察在文件和视频中删除个人信息所需的数小时。这些变化被认为能够释放时间，使员工专注于更高价值活动，从而提升整体效率并减少由单调工作带来的无聊感。

然而，完全消除苦差事可能产生意外后果。入门级岗位长期依赖这些任务来填补新人时间并帮助他们学习工作基本技能。如果人工智能承担了这些职责，企业可能减少对初级员工的招聘。将年轻员工更早推向高价值任务被视为替代方案，但完全以复杂任务填满工作日并不现实，因为员工需要在不同强度的任务之间切换以维持效率和学习曲线。

认知科学研究表明，工作强度需要平衡。空中交通管制员通常每 90 分钟到 2 小时必须休息，因为长时间高强度专注会导致疲劳。研究还显示，适度低要求任务能促进创造力：在一项实验中，完成轻松任务后再进行创造力测试的参与者明显优于执行高强度任务、休息或没有休息的对照组。此外，在急诊室医生研究中，当工作量增加时，医生会优先完成较容易完成的任务，以获得完成工作的控制感和即时满足感。

Artificial intelligence is widely expected to eliminate repetitive “grunt work,” which many believe would significantly improve productivity and job satisfaction. Such tasks include filling out expense reports, copying and pasting data into spreadsheets, or adjusting presentation formats. In sectors like health care, workers spend large amounts of time manually entering data, while automated redaction tools can save police hours previously spent removing personal information from documents and videos. Redirecting this time toward higher-value activities could raise efficiency and reduce boredom caused by monotonous routines.

However, eliminating grunt work entirely could create unintended consequences. Entry-level jobs have traditionally relied on such tasks to occupy new employees while they learn basic professional skills. If artificial intelligence performs these functions, employers may reduce hiring of junior workers. One proposed solution is to move younger employees into higher-value responsibilities earlier, but filling workdays exclusively with complex tasks may be unrealistic because employees need to shift between tasks of different intensity to maintain performance and learning.

Research on cognition indicates that optimal work requires balance. Air-traffic controllers, whose jobs demand intense focus, typically work no more than 90 minutes to 2 hours before taking a break because sustained concentration leads to fatigue. Studies also suggest that low-demand tasks can enhance creativity: in one experiment, participants who performed a simple task before a creativity test significantly outperformed those who completed demanding tasks, rested, or had no break. Additional research on emergency-room physicians shows that as workloads increase, doctors deliberately prioritize easier tasks to gain a sense of completion and immediate control over their work.